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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Chap.. . i opyrighl X<>. 

sii.-ir.. BS.43\ 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Life's Questions 



BY 

ERNEST TEMPLE 

II 



NEW YORK 
TTRTJSIvOVK & COMBA 

65 Fifth Avenue 
1898 






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Co FY RIGHT, 1898 

Hv ERNEST TEMPLE 



■$> OF **$ 

OCT 8-1: 



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TWOCOI ^D. 



Or- 

4 



PREFACE 



'HERE are many thousands of men and wom- 
en at the present time whose chief aim 
in life it is to make other people think and be- 
lieve as they do. They are deeply convinced 
that they possess the Truth, and that it is their 
bounden duty to preach the Truth as they see it. 
While the motive which prompts this widespread 
activity is often pure and unselfish, and while the 
results achieved are often excellent, it is much to 
be regretted that so few efforts are made to in- 
spire others to think for themselves. 

At one time it was considered unsafe and even 
impious to think outside a certain beaten track ; 
but that time has fortunately passed, and the 
most deeply religious as well as the most philo- 
sophical and scientific minds are united to-day in 
their investigation of the problems of life. They 
differ in their methods as widely as in their con- 
clusions, but it has been truly said that " Har- 
mony of aim, not identity of conclusion, is the 
secret of sympathy." However that may be, the 

i* 



most orthodox as well as the most heterodox of 
modern thinkers agree that the clear statement of 
a problem is the first and most important step 
towards its solution. 

Acting on that basis, and holding with Bacon 
that " Who questioneth much, shall learn much 
and content much," the author has endeavored 
in these pages to help people to think for them- 
selves, by formulating their problems for them in 
the simplest possible language. He believes that 
this will do more than almost anything else could, 
to help them solve these problems. Man has 
been called " inarticulate," and with some reason ; 
but the cause is not far to seek. It lies in the 
fact that man does not think clearly as a rule, 
even when he thinks at all. If his thoughts were 
clear cut and to the point, he could always ex- 
press them in words. 

It is, therefore, of great consequence that those 
who are sincerely anxious to unriddle the enigmas 
that surround them, should be helped to formu- 
late the various questions they wish to answer. 
If they once grasp the full purport of a question, 
they will be well on the track of its solution. For 
such honest, fearless minds this book is in large 
part designed. 



But its usefulness should not end there. Two 
other classes should gain from its perusal. There 
are those who are satisfied that they already pos- 
sess the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but 
the truth. Perhaps they find occasionally some 
difficulty in putting the truth they possess into 
appropriate language. It is a common difficulty. 
Practice makes perfect, however, and if they will 
answer lucidly all the questions suggested for 
their consideration in these pages, they will in- 
evitably acquire greater facility in the art of con- 
cise statement and clear definition than they have 
ever known before. In other words, their thought 
will become more intelligible and homogeneous. 

The third and last class into whose hands are 
confided the destinies of this little book, might 
perhaps be described as the homo-vegetable king- 
dom, as it consists of those who are either una- 
ware that life presents any problems, or, having 
at some time realized the existence of one or 
more problems, came to the conclusion that they 
could not be solved, and thereupon promptly de- 
cided to think no more. 

Neither division of this " kingdom " should be 
regarded as hopelessly irreclaimable. All that 



the first often need is to have their attention 
called to a problem in order to stir them to an 
attempt at its solution. Their condition is due, 
either to lack of opportunity, or to lack of inter- 
est when the opportunity presented itself. The 
second sometimes need to be galvanized into 
manhood through suffering ; but their innate 
though suppressed desire for knowledge is a 
factor in their lives which refuses to be ignored for 
long, and it is therefore hoped that this book of 
Life's Questions may succeed in exciting in many 
of them an unaccustomed but much to be desired 
mental acquisitiveness. 

To lay claim to universal usefulness in the 
nineteenth century may seem a rather hackneyed 
proceeding. Some excuse for doing so may be 
granted, perhaps, in this instance, because the 
author asks questions only, does not even sug- 
gest solutions, and merely aims at the evocation 
of thought in others. He offers no panacea for 
all evils, still less a new revelation ; but, taking 
his stand on the old and entirely credible state- 
ment, Seek and ye shall find, submits Life's Ques- 
tions for the consideration of people of all ages, 
races, classes, and religions. 

ERNEST TEMPLE. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Preface 3 

Part I. — Introductory 9 

Part II. — Man and the Universe. 

Chapter I. — Universals 23 

Chapter II. — Particulars 34 

Part III. — Ethics. 

Chapter I. — Principles 57 

Chapter II. — Instances 79 



PART I. 

Introductory. 



NOTE. 

The questions are asked in the first 
or third person according to the na- 
ture of the question, the aim being in 
each case to make them as compre- 
hensible as possible. 

The reader is requested to imagine 
that immediately following every note 
of interrogation in this book stand 
these further questions : If not, why 
not? If so, why? 



CHAPTER I. 

DEFINITIONS. 

What is the purpose of existence 
upon earth? 

Is it that man may enjoy himself? 
If so, what is the purpose of pain ? 
Is it to gather wealth, fame, etc. ? 
If so, who reaps the benefit ? 
Is it to learn something? 
If so, what ? 

Is it to gain experience of life on 
earth ? 

If so, can this be done in one life ? 
Is it to prepare one for Heaven? 
If so, why should this be necessary ? 



i2 Life's Questions 

What is my object in life? 



it to gain money ? 

it to gain fame ? 

it to gain power? 

it to gain knowledge ? 

it to benefit others ? 

it to be happy? 

it to perform my duty ? 



Is 
Is 
Is 
Is 
Is 
Is 
Is 
Is it to insure my going to Heaven ? 



The Object of Life 13 

Upon what must depend my an- 
swer to the last question? 

Upon what I am in fact ? 

Upon how long I have to live ? 

Upon whether I am married or 
single ? 

Upon my natural abilities ? 

Upon whether there is or is not a 
future life? 

Upon the existence of God ? 

Upon the nature and purpose of 
the Universe ? 



14 Life's Questions 

Can I know anything ? And if so, 
how? 

Can my mind grasp the whole of 
Truth ? 

Can my mind grasp some aspects 
of Truth ? 

Do I learn by accretion from with- 
out ? 

Do I learn by evolution from within? 

Does the " without' evoke the 
"within" ? 

Do I learn both from within and 
without ? 

Does the amount I learn from a 
book depend entirely upon the book 
or partly upon myself? 

Does the amount that I learn from 
nature or from men and women de- 
pend entirely upon them or partly 
upon myself? 

If what I learn from any source is 
partly due to myself, what is it in 
myself that supplies this factor in the 
acquirement of knowledge ? 



Religion 15 

What is Religion ? 

Is religion a process of union with 
God? 

Is it a process of union as between 
men ? 

Is it a process of union as between 
man's higher and lower nature ? 

Does it consist of a certain number 
of beliefs ? 

Should religion in any way affect 
one's daily actions? 

Is religion the same as theology ? 

Is religion concerned with spiritual 
matters only, or is it concerned with 
physical and mental phenomena as 
well ? 

Is there any connection between 
religion and politics ? 

Is religion in any way opposed to 
science or philosophy ? 



1 6 Life's Questions 

What is Science? 

Is it knowledge? 

Is it a process of collecting facts? 

Is it a classification of facts ? 

Is it a promulgation of hypotheses ? 

Is it concerned with physical facts 
only ? 

Is it concerned with facts of every 
sort ? 

Are the methods of science opposed 
to the methods of religion ? 

Are the conclusions of science op- 
posed to the conclusions of religion ? 

Should science and religion be in 
any way opposed to each other? 



'Philosophy 1 7 

What is Philosophy? 

Is it a love of truth ? 

Why are there not more philos- 
ophers ? 

Is philosophy a study of how to 
attain proof? 

Is it the presentation of such truths 
as have already been attained? 

Can philosophy be denned as the 
intellectual interpretation of physical 
phenomena and of spiritual noumena ? 

To what extent is it true, if at all, 
that religion, science, and philosophy 
are means of expressing the one and 
indivisible truth in three different sets 
of terms ? 



1 8 Life's Questions 

What constitutes an "authority"? 

Does authority spring from fear ? 

Does it spring from love? 

Does it spring from respect? 

Does authority depend upon the 
individual who recognizes it ? 

Does authority depend upon the 
opinion of the majority? 

Does it depend upon man's desire 
to avoid individual responsibility? 



Recognition of Authority 19 

To what extent should authority 
be recognized in matters of doctrine 
or of fact? 

Should we accept the verdict of 
book or of person when the verdict is 
opposed to our reason ? 

If not, should we set up our reason 
as the highest authority known to us ? 

If we should accept such a verdict 
blindly, what is it in us which recog- 
nized the authority in the first place, 
and should the same faculty be em- 
ployed to test each succeeding decision 
of that authority ? 

Should authority be accepted where 
principles are involved ? 

Should authority be accepted where 
research is concerned? 

Should the decision of an authority 
be accepted as a statement of fact or 
as a temporary hypothesis? 



20 Life's Questions 

What, if anything, is "imposs- 
ible"? 

Is the possible limited by man's 
power of belief? 

Is anything impossible merely be- 
cause it is beyond human experience? 

Is the impossible that which is not 
understood ? 

Can anything be considered impos- 
sible ? 

Is a contradiction in terms — such 
as that black is white, or that an in- 
variable law has been set aside — a 
definition of the impossible ? 



PART II. 

Man and the Universe. 



NOTE. 

The questions are asked in the first 
or third person according to the na- 
ture of the question, the aim being in 
each case to make them as compre- 
hensible as possible. 

The reader is requested to imagine 
that immediately following every note 
of interrogation in this book stand 
these further questions : If not, why 
not? If so, why? 



CHAPTER I. 

UNIVERSALS. 

Does God exist? 

Can I prove His existence? 

Must I use physical, mental, moral, 
or spiritual means in order to do so? 

Can I prove His non-existence ? 

Must I postulate His existence in 
order to account for known facts ? 

Will anything else account for 
them ? 



24 Life's Questions 

Who and where is God ? 

Is He unknown, unknowable, 
known, or knowable? 

Is He a person ? 

Has He human attributes and qual- 
ities ? 

Is He finite or infinite? 

Is He situated in some part of 
space ? 

If so, where ? If not, how can He 
exist at all? 

Where is God not present? 

Is He eternal ? 

Is He omnipotent? 

Is He omniscient? 

Can He be described in terms of 
human knowledge ? 



God and Man 25 

What, if any, is God's relation to 
man? 

Can the infinite be related to the 
finite ? 

Is there anything infinite in man? 

Did God create man ? If so, out 
of what ? 

Did man evolve from Deity ? If 
so, why is he not wholly divine now ? 

Is there any part of God present in 
man? 

If so, does God cease to be limit- 
less thereby ? 

In what sense, if in any, does man 
partake of the divine nature ? 

Is man's relation to God of a fixed 
or varying character? 



26 Life's Questions 

What and where is the "Devil"? 

Was he created by God? 

Was he always evil or was he 
originally good ? 

Has he existed throughout all time 
and will he exist for ever? 

Is the "Devil" a person or an im- 
personal force? 

Is the "Devil" all-pervading or 
situated in some spot in space ? 

Is there any "Devil" outside of 
man himself? 



Nature 27 

What is "Nature"? 

Is Nature wholly material? 

Is the mind a part of Nature? 

Is Spirit superior to or separate 
from Nature ? 

Have the limits of Nature yet been 
discovered ? 

Is Nature infinite or finite? 

Can anything be said to be "be- 
yond nature"? 

Are the laws of Nature imposed 
upon it, or are they innate in it? 

What is the difference, if any, be- 
tween natural and divine law? 

Is Nature moral, immoral, or un- 
intelligent ? 



28 Life's Questions 

What was the origin of Nature? 

When, if ever, did Nature first 
come into existence ? 

As it exists to-day, is it the result 
of growth or of creation ? 

If it were the result of creation, out 
of what was it created, and what was 
the origin of its Creator ? 

If it be the result of growth, from 
what did it grow, and what was the 
origin of that source ? 



Laws of Nature 29 

Are there or are there not univer- 
sal laws of Nature? 

Upon what must the answer to this 
depend? Upon the homogeneity of 
Nature ? Upon the infinity of Nature ? 

Is the law of "cause and effect " 
universal ? 

Is the law of " action and reaction 
are equal and opposite' ' universal? 

Is the law of "periodicity " uni- 
versal ? 

Is the law of growth universal ? 

Can " Justice ,: be regarded as uni- 
versally prevailing in Nature? 

Would a universal law apply to 
mind as well as to matter? 

Would any part of Nature — the 
destinies of nations, the moral nature 
of man, man's future state — be ex- 
ceptions to the application of a uni- 
versal law? 



30 Life's Questions 

How do things grow? 

By accretion from without 
By expansion from within? 
By evolution ? 
By involution ? 
Do they grow continuously? 
Do they grow periodically? 
Is decay antagonistic to growth or 
is it necessary to growth? 



Growth 31 

Will there be an end to growth? 

When will that end be reached, if 
at all ? 

Is an apparent end merely a trans- 
ference of activity to some other 
centre ? 

Is everlasting immobility think- 
able ? 

If there is to be an end to growth, 
what is the ultimate state to be 
reached, and what will follow the 
cessation of growth? 

If there is to be no end to growth, 
what is its purpose? 



32 Life's Questions 

Is man separate from his fellows ? 

Can he isolate his body ? 

Is the air which he breathes per- 
meated with the exhalations of others? 

Does the matter (the lives, mi- 
crobes, etc.,) of which his body is 
composed pass into the bodies of 
others, and vice versa? 

Does his conduct affect others? 

Do his thoughts affect others? 
(See pp. 51, 52.) 

Does his success or failure in life 
affect others? 

Was his origin the same as that of 
other men? 

Will his destiny be the same? 



Immortality 33 

What is " Immortality " ? 

Does it mean infinite existence? 

Can infinity be limited? 

Can infinity have a beginning? 

Does " immortality " mean endless 
existence in the future only? 

Does it mean endless existence in 
the past? 

Can anything cease to exist in 
essence ? 

Does the destruction of a form 
involve the destruction of that of 
which the form consists? 



CHAPTER II. 

PARTICULARS. 

What am "I"? 

Am I my desires? 

Am I my thoughts? 

A body? A mind? A soul? A 
spirit ? 

A combination of these? 

A unit being with a separate indi- 
viduality ? 

A temporary manifestation of a 
universal principle without separate 

individuality ? 

An animal? A god? 



Matter 35 

What is "Matter"? 

Upon what does a knowledge of 
matter depend? 

Upon the senses? Upon the mind? 

Do we know anything of matter 
except as a name for states of our 
own consciousness ? If so, what ? 

Would matter be non-existent 
apart from our consciousness of it? 

Is matter "dead," or has it life 
and consciousness? 

To what extent, if any, are matter 
and mind separable? 

Have we yet discovered the ulti- 
mate tenuity or the ultimate density 
of matter ? 



36 Life's Questions 

What is "Mind"? 

Is it the same as reason, as imagi- 
nation, as memory, as sentiment, as 
intuition, as the soul ? 

Does it create? Does it reflect? 

To what extent can mental conclu- 
sions be relied upon ? 

Are they probabilities or certain- 
ties ? 

What gives certainty? 

To what extent does the mind af- 
fect the body? To what extent does 
the body affect the mind? 

Can the mind function apart from 
the brain? 



Sensations 37 

What are "Sensations"? 

Can they be felt apart from the 
body ? 

Can they be felt apart from the 
mind? 

Would they have any existence 
apart from either? 

How account for the fact that a 
given cause will produce different 
physical and mental sensations in 
different people ? 

What is the fundamental difference 
between the sensations known as 
color, sound, smell, taste, touch? 

Are there inaudible sounds, imper- 
ceptible colors, etc. ? 



38 Life's Questions 

Are there or are there not any 
powers or faculties latent in man 
which need development ? 

Are man's mental faculties fully 
developed ? 

Are man's intuition, imagination, 
and conscience fully developed ? 

Do dreams reveal the existence of 
latent faculties — such as interior sight, 
hearing, etc. — which might be culti- 
vated ? 

Do the phenomena of hypnotism 
or mesmerism reveal the existence of 
such faculties? 

Can a faculty be possessed by one 
person only, or does the possession of 
some faculty by one person imply its 
possession by all, to a greater or less 
degree ? 



Sleep 39 

How account for the common belief 
in the possibility of premonition dur- 
ing sleep? 

Is this a mere superstition? What 
is a superstition? 

Are there authentic cases of such 
premonition on record? 

Is premonition, if there be such a 
thing, of supernatural origin ? 

Can it be accounted for by postulat- 
ing the existence of a sixth sense ? 

Is it reasonable to suppose that 
some part of the mind is freer during 
sleep than during the waking state? 

Can the inactivity of the mind dur- 
ing sleep in some way liberate the 
"soul"? 



40 Life's Qjiestions 

What is the difference between an 
animal and a man? 

Is there always a difference? 

Do animals possess souls? 

Do they reason, remember, reflect, 
hope, aspire? 

Are they capable of self-analysis, 
of introspection ? 

Are men invariably capable of these 
mental processes? 



The Origin of Ego 41 

How did I become what I am? 

Is my existence the result of chance 
or the result of law ? 

Am I the product of evolution or 
of special creation ? 

Is my body the result of evolu- 
tion ? 

Am "I" the result of evolution? 

Did I exist before the birth of this 
body ? 

If so, where ? If not, does my ex- 
istence depend upon the existence of 
my body? 



42 Life's Questions 

Can an imperfect man become per- 
fect or must he forever remain im- 
perfect ? 

Is absolute perfection possible, or 
must any point of attainable perfec- 
tion be relative to and limited by this 
earth's present possibilities? 

What is the object of the universe? 
Is growth a universal law in nature? 
Is growth terminated by death? 

Can a man become perfect in one 
life? 

If a man can become perfect after 
death only, is his perfection of any 
value to the world? 

Is the greatest of sinners destined 
to become perfect ultimately? 

Is it only the destiny of races yet 
unborn to become perfect? 

Is it the destiny of man to retro- 
gress after attaining a certain stage of 
development ? 



Heredity 43 

What is "Heredity"? 

Is it the transmission of physical 
characteristics from parents to chil- 
dren ? 

If so, to what extent do these 
characteristics influence us? 

Is it the transmission of mental and 
moral characteristics from parents to 
children ? 

If so, are we in any way responsi- 
ble for being what we are? 

Is it a moral law? 

If so, is it just that we should have 
to suffer for the sins of our ancestors ? 

Can we modify or overcome our 
hereditary tendencies ? 



44 Life's Questions 

What will become of me when my 
body disintegrates — when it dies? 

Shall I disintegrate with my body? 

Shall I lose my consciousness of 
"I"? 

If so, shall I lose it temporarily or 
permanently ? 

If not, shall I enter into a state of 
happiness or of misery ? 

Will the state I enter be everlast- 
ing and unchanging, or will it be 
transitory and changeable? 

If I am to continue to develop, to 
evolve, in the after-death state, will it 
be in a spiritual state or place? Shall 
I have to return to this earth ? Shall 
I pass on to some other planet? 



The Hereafter 45 

Upon what will my happiness or 
misery hereafter depend — supposing 
I survive the death of my body? 

Upon what does my happiness or 
misery depend now? 

Will my future state depend upon 
the decrees of God ? 

Will it depend upon natural law, 
such as the law of readjustment? 

Shall I reap what I have sown? 

Will it depend upon my past acts, 
or upon my past thoughts, or upon 
both? 

Will it depend upon my motives 
or upon results? 



46 Life's Qjiestions 

What and where is "Heaven"? 

Is Heaven a place or a state of con- 
sciousness ? 

If it be a place, where is it situated? 

If it be a state of consciousness, can 
consciousness be conceived as existing 
apart from substance? 

Is Heaven a state of bliss in which 
we reap the reward of past virtue ? 

Is it a state in which past experi- 
ence is assimilated? 

Is it everlasting? Is it transient? 

Do we meet our friends in 
Heaven ? 

If our friends are not with us, do 
we miss them? 

Do we take our impurities with us 
to Heaven? If so, how can we be 
happy there and how can it be a 
spiritual state ? If not, how do we get 
rid of them ? 

Can we experience "Heaven" dur- 
ing life on earth? 



Hell 47 

What and where is "Hell"? 

Is Hell a locality? 

Can we be in Hell during our life 
on earth? 

Is there an everlasting Hell here- 
after ? 

What sins merit that punishment? 

What, if anything, can plunge us 
into Hell during life? 

What, if anything, can plunge us 
into Hell after death? 



48 Life's Questions 

Will death separate us from those 
we love ? 

To what extent does bodily sepa- 
ration from them now imply actual 
separation ? 

Shall we be conscious of their 
earthly doings, supposing we die first ? 

Shall we be conscious of their 
sufferings, if they be in Hell ? 

Shall we know their real natures, 
or shall we know them as they ap- 
peared to us on earth? 

Does love originate with the soul, 
mind, or body? 

Would the unselfishness of the love 
affect its binding power? 



Other Worlds 49 

Is earth the only man-bearing 
globe ? 

Is consciousness confined to this 
earth ? 

Could "man" exist in an atmos- 
phere which would immediately prove 
fatal to the human body? 

Is it reasonable to suppose that 
" man ' could exist in a body adapted 
to a different environment, and per- 
haps unlike the human body of this 
earth ? 

Can we do more than speculate on 
this subject? 

Is it safe to reason from analogy? 



50 Life's Questions 

Whence do thoughts originate? 

Have all thoughts the same origin ? 

Do thoughts of hunger originate in 
the brain ? 

Do thoughts of hope, of aspiration, 
of admiration for abstract virtues, 
qualities, etc., originate in the brain ? 

Are all thoughts the result of phys- 
ical sensations? 

Do the thoughts of other people 
affect us? 

To what extent, if at all, do the 
thoughts of the world's great thinkers, 
living or dead, affect us? And how 
do they affect us? 



Thought 51 

What, if any, is the effect of 
thought ? 

Is thought a force? 

If so, in and through what sort of 
matter does this force act? 

Are the activities of thought gov- 
erned by natural laws? 

If so, are they the same laws that 
govern the activities of magnetism, 
electricity, etc. ? 

Does thought produce any effect 
upon the ether ? 

Does the thought of some object 
create an image of that object in the 
mind ? 

If so, is this image in any way 
substantial or permanent? 

Do one's thoughts affect one's 
body ? 



52 Life's Qiiestions 

To what extent, if at all, do our 
thoughts affect others? 

Indirectly, by way of resulting ac- 
tions, and so by example? 

Directly, by way of some medium, 
such as the ether? 

Could our thoughts affect anyone, 
whether personally known to us or 
not? 

Could our thoughts affect those 
whose line of thought is different to 
our own? 

Could an evil thought affect a pure 
mind ? 

Are most people's thoughts suffi- 
ciently alive to produce any effect 
upon anything? 



Thought as Force 53 

Upon what would depend the ex- 
tent to which our thoughts would 
affect others? 

Upon the distance between us? 

Upon the relationship existing be- 
tween us? 

Upon the clearness and intensity 
of our own thought? 

Upon the receptivity of others to 
thoughts in general or to thoughts 
in particular? 

Upon the motive prompting the 
thought ? 

Upon the positive or negative qual- 
ity of the mind in question ? 

Upon the existence of similar 
thoughts in the minds of others? 



54 Life's Questions 

Is man a free agent? 

If God is omniscient and knows 
in advance all that is to happen, were 
man's thoughts and actions predestined 
from all eternity? 

If the law of cause and effect is 
universal in its application, did the 
causes of man's thoughts and actions 
of to-day exist yesterday, and did the 
causes of those causes exist endlessly 
in the past? 

If man is not a free agent, how is 
progress possible? 

Is man partially free and partially 
bound ? 

If limited in his freedom to any 
extent, by what is he limited? 



PART III. 

Ethics. 



NOTE. 

The questions are asked in the first 
or third person according to the na- 
ture of the question, the aim being in 
each case to make them as compre- 
hensible as possible. 

The reader is requested to imagine 
that immediately following every note 
of interrogation in this book stand 
these further questions : If not, why 
not? If so, why? 



CHAPTER I. 

PRINCIPLES. 

What are "moral laws"? 

Are they natural and irrevocable? 

Are they divine? Are they innate 
in the world of thought and action ? 

Are they arbitrary and changeable? 

What is the difference between the 
statement that "action and reaction 
are equal and opposite" and the state- 
ment that "whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap"? 

Is it true that "whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap"? 

Is it true that whatsoever a man 
reapeth, that hath he also sown? 

To what extent, if at all, can these 
be regarded as moral laws? 



58 Life's Qiiestions 

To what extent, if at all, do we 
benefit by obeying the moral laws? 

What, if any, is the essential differ- 
ence between the moral laws and the 
laws of physical health ? 

Do we benefit by acting in con- 
formity with the physical laws, such 
as the laws of health? 

Do we benefit immediately or do 
we only benefit hereafter by obeying 
the laws of health ? 

Do we benefit or do only our prog- 
eny benefit by our obeying the laws 
of health ? 

If it be true that we benefit by 
obeying the moral laws, how account 
for a common belief that "the liar 
gains in a day what the soothfast 
strives for late"? 



Moral Responsibility 59 

Can a man injure himself without 
injuring others? 

If a man becomes a cripple or in- 
sane is it a loss to himself only? Is 
it a loss to his family ? Is it a loss to 
the world? 

If it be true that a man injures 
himself by lying, or by violating any 
of the moral laws, can he do so with- 
out injuring others? 

Is a man justified in saying — "I 
know it is wrong to do this, but it 
won't hurt anyone but myself, and I 
will take the consequences" ? 



60 Life's Questions 

What is "evil"? 

Is there such a thing as an unmixed 
and absolute evil? 

Is evil a specific thing in itself, or 
is it the misuse of something not in 
itself evil? 

Do evil actions ever produce good 
results ? 

Do good actions ever produce evil 
results ? 

Can evil be transformed into good, 
or must it be exterminated before 
good can take its place? 



Origin of Evil 61 

What was the origin of evil? 

Was it created by God? 

If so, how could evil come out of 
anything wholly good? 

Was it created by the Devil ? 

If so, who created the Devil ? 

Was it created by man? 

If so, when ? 

Was it the natural and inevitable 
outcome of evolution ? 

If so, will the power of evil con- 
tinually increase? 

What is the origin of evil to-day? 



62 Life's Questions 

What is "good"? 

Is "good' that which gives pleas- 
ure? 

Is "good" that which gives knowl- 
edge? 

Is "good' that which gives con- 
tentment? 

Is "good" that which pleases God? 

Is "good' that which helps for- 
ward evolution? 



Origin of Good 63 

What was the origin of " good " ? 

Can "good' be thought of with- 
out some knowledge of evil ? 

If so, with what would one com- 
pare "good" ? 

If not, does the existence of " good " 
imply the existence of "evil" ? 

Did God create "good"? 

If so, did He create "good" before 
or after "evil" came into existence? 

Was "good' the result of evolu- 
tion ? 

If so, was " good ' already con- 
tained in that from which it sprang? 
And what was the origin of its 
source ? 

[The terms of most questions concerning good and evil 
can be changed with advantage. The first of the above 
series, for instance, " Can ' good ' be thought of without 
some knowledge of ' evil ' ? " can also read " Can ' evil ' 
be thought of without some knowledge of ' good ' ? "] 



64 Life's Qiiestions 

What is an "ideal"? 

Has it an actual existence in the 
world of thought as a perfect type ? 

Is it the creation of each individ- 
ual? 

As we change our ideal, do we 
change it? Does it change in itself? 
Does our view of it change while it 
remains the same? 

Is it correct to speak of a "low 
ideal"? 



Diversity in Ideals 65 

Why is it said that no two people 
have exactly the same ideal ? 

Is it because each creates his own 
ideal ? 

Is it because they see the ever-ex- 
isting ideal type differently? 

Is it because they fail to define 
their ideal correctly ? 

Is it due to differences in physical 
heredity ? 

Is it due to innate mental differ- 
ences, and if so, what was the origin 
of these mental differences ? 

Have all people ideals? 



66 Life's Questions 

What, if any, is the use of an 
ideal ? 

Should it stand to us as a goal to 
be reached? 

Is it any good to see the goal if no 
effort be made to reach it? 

Is an ideal an incentive to right 
thought and action or is it a deter- 
rent from wrong thought and ac- 
tion? 

Does an ideal give us happiness or 
does it make us miserable? 

Is it unpractical to have ideals? 

Can a man accomplish anything 
without ideals ? 



The Ideal and Real 67 

To what extent, if at all, should 
we strive to make the ideal the real ? 

Should we endeavor to give imme- 
diate and full effect to our ideals? 

Should we strive to give gradual 
effect to our ideals? 

Should we leave the ideals as ideals, 
and continue to think and act regard- 
less of them, "taking the world as 
we find it"? 

Should we give expression to our 
ideals in words, for our own benefit 
and for the benefit of others, while 
admitting the impossibility of prac- 
tising what we preach ? 



68 Life's Questions 

How can we best make the ideal 
the real? 

By constantly speaking of it as the 
ideal ? 

By constantly thinking of it as the 
ideal ? 

By drawing up a plan of action to 
be persistently followed in the future? 

By striving to think, speak, and act 
in an ideal way in each moment? 

By uniting with others in order to 
provide a suitable environment in 
which the ideal may be made the 
real ? 

By selecting convenient opportuni- 
ties for putting our ideal into effect? 



Prayer 69 

Should we pray to God, and if so, 
for what? 

What is the difference between 
prayer and the formulation of a desire 
in the mind? 

Is prayer always a supplication for 
a specific object or is it an aspiration 
towards an ideal? 

Should we depend upon God to 
give us what we desire? Should we 
depend upon our own exertions? 
Should we rely upon fate? 

Should we pray for the defeat of 
our enemies ? For our personal profit, 
irrespective of the results to others? 
For the happiness or longevity of our 
friends, regardless of their being or 
not being benefited by happiness or 
longevity ? For the good of our coun- 
try at the expense of other countries ? 



70 Life's Questions 

To what extent can we hope to 
obtain what we desire? 

Does this depend upon the will of 
God? 

Does this depend upon our sur- 
roundings — upon the "limitations of 
nature' ' ? 

Does this depend upon the intensity 
of our desire and upon the strength of 
our will? 

To what extent is it true, if at all, 
that "a man obtaineth his heart's de- 
sire if it take him ten thousand 
years" ? 

To what extent is it true, if at all, 
that, ninety-nine times out of a hun- 
dred, when he finally obtains it, he 
wishes that he had not? 



Contentment 71 

Is it wise to be contented with 
one's lot? 

Does contentment involve lack of 
effort ? 

Is a contented man generally lazy? 

If we are content with things as 
they are, why should we try to im- 
prove them? 

Is it possible to be at once discon- 
tented and happy? 

Is it possible to be optimistic in re- 
gard to the present and pessimistic in 
regard to the future? 

Is it true that things as they are, in 
each moment, are absolutely for the 
best, but that the next moment de- 
pends upon our use of the immediate 
present ? 



72 Life's Qjiestions 

What is "happiness"? 

Can we be miserable amid agree- 
able surroundings? 

Can we be miserable when with 
our closest friends? 

Can we be happy in spite of dis- 
agreeable surroundings ? 

Can we be happy in spite of the 
presence of persons who are disagree- 
able to us? 

Will agreeable sensations always 
give us mental happiness ? 

Can wealth, power, or fame insure 
happiness ? 



Love 73 

What is " love " ? 

Is it an emotion? 

Is it a state of the mind ? 

Does it affect the heart or does it 
arise in or through the heart? 

Is it a desire to benefit another? 

Is it a desire to be benefited by 
another ? 

Is it a desire to give? 

Is it a desire to obtain? 

In what respects, if at all, does love 
differ from friendship? 

What is the fundamental difference, 
if any, between the love a father bears 
his child and that which he bears for 
his wife? 

Is the difference one of degree, one 
of kind, or one of expression ? 

Is love a pleasurable or a painful 
sensation ? 



74 Life's Questions 

What are "habits"? 

Are they innate in us? 

Are they the result of physical 
heredity ? 

Are they created in us by God ? 

Do they develop in us subsequently 
to birth? 

Are bad habits the result of wrong 
action ? 

Are bad habits the result of wrong 
thought ? 

Are there mental habits as well as 
physical ? 

If so, in what respects do these 
differ, if at all ? 

Do habits result from the constant 
repetition of thought or act ? 

Are they periodically or continu- 
ously active? 



Overcoming Habits 75 

How can one cure oneself of a bad 
habit ? 

By getting someone to remind 
one of it? 

By punishing oneself whenever one 
succumbs to it? 

By immediately stopping its phys- 
ical expression ? 

By trying to discover its root in 
one's nature and by dealing with the 
cause rather than with the effect? 

By trying to discover the times 
when it cyclically reappears — if its 
occurrence be periodical — and by 
taking steps to forestall it? 

By trying to replace a bad habit 
with one of an opposite nature ? 



76 Life's Questions 

What is "toleration"? 

Is it indifference to evil? 

Is it a deliberate ignoring of evil ? 

Is it an impersonal acceptance of 
evil's existence ? 

Does it involve lack of conviction ? 

Is it a recognition that, while en- 
tertaining deep convictions oneself, 
respect is due to others who may en- 
tertain equally deep though entirely 
different convictions? 

Does tolerance depend upon a be- 
lief that no one sees the whole truth, 
but that all see some aspects of truth ? 

Does tolerance depend upon a be- 
lief that God allows error to exist in 
order to test and purify humanity as 
a whole? 



Duty 77 

What is a "duty"? 

Is it a debt? 

If so, how did we incur the debt ? 
Is it a debt due to God ? 
Is it a debt we owe others? 
If so, to whom do we owe any- 
thing ? 

Is it a debt due oneself? 
If so, what part of oneself? 



78 Life's Questions 

How can we best determine what 
is our duty? 

By consulting other people about 
it? 

By deciding what we should prefer 
to be our duty? 

Can we now decide what will be 
our duty in the future? 

Should we try to avoid performing 
the duties of other people, or should 
we try to do their duties for them ? 

If we should avoid the duties of 
other people, should we do this in act 
or in thought? 

If we should try to do their duties 
for them, should we get them to do 
our own duties for us? 

Should we fulfil all natural duties, 
even though insignificant, before 
assuming larger responsibilities, or 
should we postpone the performance 
of the smaller duties in view of the 
greater ? 



CHAPTER II. 

INSTANCES. 

What special duties, if any, does 
a man owe his wife ? 

Should he provide her with comforts 
as well as with the necessities of life ? 

Should he seek to let her have her 
own way in all things? 

Should he seek to get his own way 
in all things? 

Should he seek to let her give him 
his own way in all things ? 

Should he be faithful to her in the 
event that she is not faithful to him? 

Should he try to give her pleasure 
or should he allow himself to be 
pleased by her? 

Should he exercise his rights over 
her or should he be content to be 
granted privileges? 

Should he encourage her mental, 
moral, and artistic development? 



80 Life's Questions 

What special duties, if any, does 
a wife owe her husband ? 

Is it her duty to entertain him at 
any time he may desire, in any way 
he may desire? 

Is it her duty to control him in as 
many ways as possible as frequently 
as possible? 

Should she, as far as possible, look 
after his creature comforts? 

Should she represent to him the 
physical or spiritual side of his life ? 

Should she try to meet him on all 
sides of his nature ? 

Should she try to inspire and en- 
courage him or should she expect him 
to inspire and encourage her? 

Is it sufficient for her io be his wife 
or should she attempt to be his friend 
and comrade as well? 



Parent and Child 81 

What special duties, if any, do 
parents owe their children ? 

Is it the duty of parents to try to 
make their children as much like 
themselves as possible? 

Should parents be careful to train 
their children to think exactly as they 
think ? 

Should they leave their children to 
educate themselves ? 

Should they try to educate their 
children to educate themselves ? 

Should they try to call forth all the 
faculties latent in their children, guid- 
ing them in the use of those faculties ? 

Should parents provide for their 
children, and up to what age ? 



82 Life's Questions 

What special duties, if any, do 
children owe their parents? 

Do they owe them respect as par- 
ents, even though they consider them 
unworthy of respect as persons ? 

Should children obey their parents, 
and if so, up to what age? 

Is the duty of obedience dependent 
upon age? If not, upon what does 
it depend? 

Should children conform to the re- 
ligious and political opinions of their 
parents ? 

At what age, if at any, may chil- 
dren properly regard themselves as 
independent ? 

Should children try to provide for 
their parents in their old age, if that 
be necessary? 



Friendship 83 

What is " friendship " ? 

Does friendship depend upon mu- 
tual self-interest? 

Does it depend upon mutual under- 
standing ? 

Does it depend upon mutual sym- 
pathy ? 

Does it imply agreement upon all 
matters of opinion ? 

Should religious, philosophical, or 
political differences be a barrier to 
friendship ? 

Why do such differences frequently 
destroy friendships? 

What is the test of friendship ? 

Can we be sure of our friends until 
we need them? 

Can we be sure of our friends until 
we have amicably differed from them ? 



84 Life's Questions 

What special duties, if any, do we 
owe our friends ? 

Should there be any difference be- 
tween our treatment of our friends and 
our treatment of all persons not inim- 
ical to us ? 

Should we regard all men as our 
friends, even those who consider them- 
selves our enemies? 

If we are trusted by our friends, do 
we owe them a special debt of loyalty 
and candor? 

Should we defend our friends from 
unjust accusations with more vehe- 
mence than we should defend other 
persons under similar circumstances? 

Should we sacrifice ourselves for 
the sake of our friends? 

Do we owe our friends protection, 
assistance, support, encouragement, 
sympathy ? 



Patriotism 85 

What special duties, if any, do we 
owe our country? 

Does it follow that birth in a coun- 
try implies indebtedness to that coun- 
try ? 

If so, when did we incur the debt ? 

Do we owe it to our country to 
respect its laws? 

If so, should we respect laws which 
we consider unjust and injurious ? 

Do we owe it to our country to 
defend it against the attacks of other 
nations ? 

If so, are we also bound to support 
its attacks upon other nations? 

Should one's duty to one's country 
take precedence of one's duty to one's 
wife and family, to one's friends, to 
one's ideals of justice and of right? 



86 Life's Questions 

What is a "lie"? 

Is the unintentional deception of 
another a "lie" ? 

Is a "lie" the deliberate deception 
of another ? 

Is it deception by means of words ? 

Is it deception by means of deeds? 

Is an untrue statement, known by 
all concerned to be untrue, a "lie" ? 

Is an action, intended to deceive, 
and thus understood by others, a " lie " ? 

If a "lie" be the deliberate decep- 
tion of another, is it possible for 
silence and inaction to be equivalent 
to a "lie"? 

If we consciously allow others to 
obtain a wrong impression from our 
truthful words, are we "lying* by so 
doing ? 



Mendacity 87 

Is it wrong to lie? 

Is it wrong because the majority 
of people say they believe it to be 
wrong ? 

Is it wrong because it is said to be 
wrong in the Bible? 

Is it wrong because all great sages 
and philosophers have agreed that it 
is wrong? 

Is a lie a violation of some moral 
law? 

Does a lie tend to interfere with 
man's evolution and with his attain- 
ment of truth ? 

Does a lie introduce confusion and 
discord into social relationships? 

Does a lie tend to blind both 
parties to the truth in other direc- 
tions than that immediately affected ? 

How account for the fact that peo- 
ple will never admit they are liars? 



88 Life's Questions 

Should we invariably speak the 
truth ? 

Does anyone speak the truth ? 

Is it sufficient to try to speak the 
truth ? 

Should we in all circumstances 
try to speak the truth? 

Should we be justified in lying in 
order to save a friend's reputation? 

Should we be justified in lying in 
order to save the lives of others ? 

Should we be justified in lying in 
order to save our country ? 

Is it ever absolutely necessary to lie, 
or does it merely appear expedient to 
do so at times? 

Should principle be surrendered to 
expediency ? 

Is there any fundamental distinc- 
tion between a lie which injures 
others and a lie which appears to 
injure no one ? 



Hatred 89 

What is "hatred"? 

Is " hatred ' the opposite of love ? 

Is it a state of mind ? 

Is it a state of the emotions ? 

Is it a condition of the body ? 

Does any one of the above produce 
the rest, and if so, which ? 

Do they arise simultaneously? 

What truth is there in the state- 
ment that "Hatred is the child of 
fear"? 

Does hatred imply a desire to in- 
jure another? 

Does hatred imply a desire to break 
off all connection with another ? 



90 Life's Questions 

Is it wrong to hate? 

Is it wrong because the majority of 
people say they believe it to be wrong ? 
Because it is said to be wrong in the 
Bible? Because all great sages and 
philosophers have agreed that it is 
wrong ? Because it violates some moral 
law? 

Does hatred tend to interfere with 
man's evolution and with the attain- 
ment of his ultimate state ? 

Does hatred introduce confusion 
and discord into social relationships? 

Does a thought of hatred injure the 
person against whom it is directed? 

Does a thought of hatred injure the 
one with whom it originates? 

Is hatred a separative force? 

Is it a disruptive force? 

Are such forces invariably destruc- 
tive ? 



Objects of Hatred 91 

Is it always wrong to hate? 

Is it wrong to hate one's enemies? 
Is it wrong to hate the enemies of 
one's country? 

Is it wrong to hate evil? 

Is it wrong to hate evil-doers? 

Is it wrong to hate oneself? 



92 Life's Questions 

Does hatred defeat its own end, or 
does it produce the results desired ? 

If hatred be a desire to injure 
another, does it injure that other 
more than it injures oneself? 

If hatred be a desire to sever all 
connection with another, can it pro- 
duce the opposite effect and bind us 
to that other? 

If our hatred for another be known, 
does it in the end provoke sympathy 
for us or for that other, on the part 
of our friends and acquaintances? 

If hatred be a disruptive, separative 
or other force, does it react on its 
own centre and source? 



Overcoming Hatred 93 

How should we, if at all, overcome 
hatred in ourselves? 

By prayer ? If so, what should we 
pray for? 

By trying to arouse a feeling of love 
in our hearts for the persons we hate ? 
If so, and if they be evil, should we 
love evil? 

By simply dismissing from our 
minds all thought of the persons con- 
cerned? If so, will this remove the 
hatred whenever we are obliged to 
meet them or think of them ? 

By trying to see their good qualities 
and then arousing a love for those 
qualities? If so, should we thereby 
blind ourselves to their evil qualities? 

By recognizing that good and evil 
exist in all men, and accepting the 
object of our hatred on that basis? 
If so, should we become indifferent 
to evil? 



94 Life's Questions 

How should we meet hatred of 
ourselves in others? 

By an attitude of indifference to 
their hatred? 

By trying to destroy their power to 
injure us and ours? 

By trying to make them love us? 

By trying to overcome their hatred 
by kindness? 

By avoiding them and avoiding all 
action in regard to them? 

[Note. — Questions similar to those asked in connec- 
tion with hatred and lying can be asked in regard to all 
the vices.] 



Temptations 95 

How do " temptations " originate? 

Are they inflicted upon us by the 
Devil ? 

Are they the work of God ? 

Do they arise from events, persons, 
surroundings ? 

Do they arise from within our- 
selves ? 

Is a temptation to one invariably a 
temptation to another? 



96 Life's Questions 

How can we best resist some par- 
ticular temptation? 

By constantly thinking about it, 
with fear and trembling? 

By means of prayer ? 

By trying to avoid the persons or 
surroundings connected with that 
temptation ? 

By trying to understand its point 
of attack in ourselves and mastering 
that ? 

By ceasing to think about it one 
way or the other, while fixing the 
mind upon some abstract ideal ? 

By occupying the mind with some 
worldly but innocent subject? 



Cultivation of Faculties 97 

Which of the natural faculties I 
possess should I try to cultivate? 

Should I cultivate my musical, ar- 
tistic, literary, linguistic faculties? 

Should I cultivate my will, my in- 
tellect, my imagination, my power of 
concentration, my moral nature? 

To what extent, if any, should I 
cultivate my bodily powers? 

Should I cultivate faculties which I 
cannot use socially or in business or 
in my own family? 



98 Life's Questions 

Should we or should we not culti- 
vate self-reliance? 

Would not the development of 
self-reliance make a man obstinate and 
self-opinionated ? 

Would not its development empha- 
size his sense of separateness from his 
fellows ? 

Can a man walk if he is without 
self-reliance ? 

If one man depends upon another 
for guidance in matters of belief or 
opinion, has he a right to call such 
beliefs and opinions "his"? 

Is he not obliged to exercise incip- 
ient self-reliance in order to decide 
whose opinions and beliefs he will 
adopt? 

Should he not exercise the same 
faculty of discrimination in regard to 
everything coming from that or any 
other source? 



Our Virtues 99 

How can we best discover our own 
virtues ? 

By listening to the praise of our 
friends ? 

By listening to the praise of our 
enemies ? 

By comparing our actions to the 
actions of others? 

By comparing our actions to our 
own ideal of action ? 

By judging the effect of our actions 
upon others? 



ioo Life's Questions 

How can we best develop our 
virtues ? 

By thinking about them? 

By talking about them? 

By seeking to give our better senti- 
ments expression in deeds? 

By ignoring our virtues while as- 
piring towards our ideal? 

By reading ennobling books? 

By associating with people more 
virtuous than we are and trying to 
imitate them? 

By associating with people less 
virtuous than we are and trying to 
help them? 



Our Faults 101 

How can we best discover our own 
faults ? 

By studying the faults of other 
people ? 

By asking someone to point out 
our faults to us ? 

By studying history and seeing if 
we repeat the errors of the past ? 

By watching our own thoughts 
and acts and by analyzing our own 
motives ? 

By comparing ourselves to some 
ideal type? 

By postulating that all our suffer- 
ing is due to error and then seeking 
to discover the particular error that 
causes the particular suffering? 



102 Life's Questions 

How can we best correct our own 
faults ? 

By watching our actions? 

By watching our thoughts? 

By trying to suppress the perform- 
ance of wrong acts ? 

By trying to suppress our wrong 
thoughts ? 

By trying to check the evil ? 

By trying to exterminate the evil? 

By trying to develop our good 
qualities and to strengthen our good 
desires, leaving the faults to die of 
inaction ? 



Cultivation of the Mind 103 

How can we cultivate the mind? 

By reading as many books as pos- 
sible ? 

By being able to talk about as many 
books as possible? 

By understanding as many books as 
possible ? 

By thinking as much and as clearly 
as possible? 

By associating with cultivated peo- 
ple? 

By thoroughly mastering some one 
subject? 

By gaining a knowledge of many 
subjects? 

By applying universal laws to par- 
ticular instances? 

By studying men and events? 

By studying the phenomena of 
nature ? 

By constant mental analysis? By 
constant synthesis? 



104 Life's Questions 

How can we strengthen the will? 

By exercising it? 

By desiring as many things as fre- 
quently as possible? 

By desiring one thing intensely and 
continuously ? 

By forcing ourselves to do disagree- 
able things? 

By trying to gain control over 
others through the power of our own 
will? 

By using the will in the perform- 
ance of all our natural duties ? 



Sympathy 105 

Should we try to cultivate sympa- 
thy for others? 

Should we leave our sympathies 
free to express themselves naturally 
and without guidance? 

If we find ourselves devoid of sym- 
pathy for suffering, should we try to 
arouse our sympathy? 

Should we try to sympathize with 
evil ? 

Should we try to sympathize with 
good only? 

Should we try to sympathize with 
well-meant proceedings of which we 
disapprove ? 



io6 Life's Questions 

Should one try to cultivate gentle 
manners ? 

If such manners are not natural to 
one, would it not be degrading to 
affect them ? 

What is the meaning of the word 
"gentle-man" ? 

Are manners empty forms? 

Are they the natural expression of 
sincere sentiments? 

Were they at any time in the past, 
or should they become in the future, 
the expression of sincere sentiments? 

Should one try to cultivate the 
manners first and the sentiments after- 
wards? Should one strive to arouse 
the sentiments first and leave their ex- 
pression to take care of itself? Should 
one try to cultivate both sentiment 
and expression simultaneously? 

Is it possible for a man to be a 
gentleman — or for a woman to be a 
gentlewoman — in spite of lowly birth 
and of poor education? 



Influence 107 

To what extent, if at all, should 
we try to influence others for their 
good? 

Should we try to prevent their 
doing wrong ? 

If so, would their desire to do 
wrong be removed thereby? 

Should we try to dominate their 
minds ? 

If so, could that dominion be per- 
manent ? 

Should we endeavor to influence 
others to be true to our ideal of right ? 

Should we endeavor to influence 
others to be true to their own ideals 
of right ? 



108 Life's Questions 

Should the conventionalities of the 
world be respected ? 

Should one defy convention and 
custom ? 

To what extent are conventionali- 
ties based upon reason ? 

To what extent is custom the re- 
sult of accumulated experience ? 

To what extent should one submit 
to social usages of which one disap- 
proves, if at all ? 

Should one's action in this matter 
be based upon principle or upon 
preference ? 



This Book 109 

What have I learned from this 
book? 

That "Where ignorance is bliss, 
't is folly to be wise" ? 

That "Who question eth much, 
shall learn much and content much" ? 

To which of the three classes of 
readers, referred to in the Preface, 
did I belong when I began to con- 
sider Lifes Questions? 

To which class do I belong now? 

To which class do my particular 
friends belong? And to which of 
them should I recommend this book ? 



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